With the launch of UNI-K iDD, Changan Automobile entered the hybrid market for the first time

In the process of transition from traditional fuel vehicles to pure electric vehicles, the emergence of hybrid power has adapted to the needs of development. The data shows that from 2014 to 2020, the domestic hybrid vehicle sales are stable, and the sales of hybrid vehicles in China in 2014 are 29,700 units, and the sales volume is as high as 251,000 units by 2020.

On January 6, 2022, at the 4th Haikou International New Energy and Intelligent Connected Vehicle Exhibition, Changan Passenger Car High-end Product Sequence UNI launched the UNI-K iDD, the first SUV model equipped with the Blue Whale iDD hybrid system, and is opening pre-sales.

Launch of the first hybrid SUV

Ye Pei, executive vice president of Changan Automobile, said that in the low-carbon era, hybrid power has become a technological breakthrough point for automobile brands facing the user market. Changan Automobile, from the perspective of solving the pain points of users' cars, has created a Blue Whale iDD hybrid system to bring users a "zero anxiety" driving experience throughout the whole process. UNI-K takes the lead in equipping the Blue Whale iDD Hybrid System, which gives UNI-K iDD "full speed domain", "full field", "full temperature domain" and "full time domain" capabilities, solving the user's high fuel consumption anxiety during urban commuting, charging and mileage anxiety during long-distance travel, and electricity anxiety when camping in the suburbs.

According to Ye Pei, the Blue Whale iDD hybrid system equipped with UNI-K iDD is composed of four parts: blue whale NE 1.5T hybrid special engine, blue whale three-clutch electric drive transmission, large-capacity PHEV battery and iDD intelligent control system.

In addition, the UNI-K iDD is equipped with a 30.74 kWh high-capacity PHEV battery, which is driven by pure electric power through BEV mode, and the NEDC has a pure electric cruising range of 130 km. HeV mode is oil-electric hybrid drive, Blue Whale iDD hybrid system can actively judge the road conditions ahead, through kinetic energy recovery, reserve enough power in advance, prolong pure electric driving time. UNI-K iDD started to use electricity, and the Blue Whale NE 1.5T hybrid special engine was involved at medium and high speeds, which saved 40% compared with the traditional fuel vehicle of the same level, and its NEDC comprehensive cruising range reached 1100km. In addition, the Blue Whale iDD hybrid system is equipped with battery insulation technology, which ensures that UNI-K iDD can achieve safe and stable driving and riding at a very low ambient temperature of -35 °C to a very high ambient temperature of 55 °C.

According to the sales performance of Changan Automobile in the first 11 months of 2021, Changan Automobile sold 188,030 vehicles in November, and the overall sales volume from January to November reached 2122511 units, an increase of 17.7% year-on-year. Behind the rise in sales is actually the continuous iterative upgrading of Changan Automobile's products.

According to Changan Automobile's product planning, in the next five years, more than ten models equipped with Blue Whale iDD hybrid system will be available.

Hybrids usher in a period of development

At present, new energy vehicles have become the most important sector in the development of the entire automobile industry. According to the latest sales data of the China Automobile Association, the cumulative production and sales of new energy vehicles in China from January to November reached 3.023 million units and 2.990 million units, respectively, an increase of 1.7 times year-on-year. From the perspective of market penetration, the market penetration rate of new energy passenger cars in China reached 19.9% in November.

While adhering to the pure electric drive strategy, the state also encourages the parallel development of a variety of technical routes. The "Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap 2.0" released in October 2020 clearly states that hybrid power will be promoted in the automotive field as the most important energy-saving technology in the next 15 years. According to the plan, in 2025, 2030 and 2035, the proportion of hybrid passenger cars in traditional car sales will be more than 50%, 75% and 100% respectively.

In this context, mainstream car companies have significantly increased their investment in hybrid R&D and industrialization, and hybrid vehicles are gradually becoming an important area for the development of new energy vehicles in China in the future. Because there is no mileage anxiety and charging difficulties, hybrid models are favored by consumers. In addition to the earliest layout of Honda Automobile and Toyota Motor, BYD, Great Wall, Chery and other car companies have launched hybrid systems.

In 2017, Changan Automobile released the future-oriented new energy strategy "Shangri-La Plan", which clearly proposed to vigorously develop new energy technologies to achieve HEV, PHEV, EV and hydrogen power technologies at the same time; in June 2019, Changan Blue Whale NE power platform was officially released, as the first OEM power modular platform in China, Blue Whale NE series engines up to 200 N m/L torque, 40% thermal efficiency. In June 2021, Changan Automobile released the Blue Whale iDD Hybrid System.

From the performance of the hybrid system, the strength of the Changan Blue Whale iDD hybrid system should not be underestimated. As the first model equipped with the Blue Whale iDD hybrid system, the launch of the UNI-K iDD means that Changan Automobile has taken an important step in the hybrid market.

From the current market demand, although the total proportion of hybrids is not large, hybrid models will exist for a long time. In the face of toyota, Honda, and then AD DM-i, Great Wall Lemon DHT and Chery Kunpeng DHT in the market, UNI-K iDD, as a latecomer, will face a fierce competitive pattern. For Changan Automobile, the launch of UNI-K iDD will not only help it open up a new market and seize a place in the increasingly fierce competition for new energy vehicles, but also take an important step for the continuous implementation of the "Shangri-La Plan".

Responsible Editor: Li Yan'an Editor-in-Chief: Yu Jianping